The Student Veteran Association (SVA) will host its first annual veteran reception from 4 to 6 p.m. on Sept. 22 in the Portland State Native American Center.
According to Dave Christensen, PSU student and president of SVA, at least a dozen PSU organizations are expected to attend from across campus, the community and the state.
About 900 veterans are enrolled at PSU today, a 30 percent increase from last year. Many of these students afford college through the post-9/11 GI Bill that pays tuition and fees while providing money for books and a monthly living allowance.
“A lot of troops wouldn’t be able to attend college if it wasn’t for this entitlement,” said Allen Roberts, PSU veterans certification officer, via email. “The GI Bill is essentially responsible for creating middle management in the corporate structure here.”
Roberts attended the University of Florida from 2000 to 2003, earning a degree in long-form journalism with a minor in U.S. war history.
“I had absolutely no business in college but thought, ‘why not? I have a way to support myself’,” he said. “My GI Bill was substantially less than the current iteration—I went on the Montgomery GI Bill—but I’m just grateful I graduated.”
Roberts is working on a video-text piece that will explore the experiences of veterans travelling abroad through academic programs.